Man killed after being shot outside East Utica bar

Saturday

Jan 18, 2014 at 10:36 AM

There's a piece of plywood lodged between Sue Randall's bed and wall. She put it there last year after she awoke too many times to the sound of gunshots coming from nearby Two J's bar on Rutger Street. Saturday morning's gunfire proved deadly.

Ned Campbell and Rob Booth

There's a piece of plywood lodged between Sue Randall's bed and wall.

She put it there last year after she and her 10-year-old grandson awoke too many times to the sound of gunshots coming from nearby Two J's bar at 613-615 Rutger St.

The latest rash of gunfire came shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, and this time resulted in the death of a local man. While it’s the city’s first homicide of the year, it’s not the first to take place outside the East Utica establishment.

"I was lying in my bed and I heard three shots fired – pop, pop, pop," Randall said. "We don't go to sleep on the weekends until 3:00 or 3:30 because of that place. It's out of control over there. They park all over the sidewalks."

The victim's name was not being released Saturday, as medical examiners in Onondaga County still need to positively identify him, Utica police Sgt. Steven Hauck said.

There were no arrests yet in the case, and as usual police are not getting much help from the public, Hauck said.

In fact, despite a large crowd outside the bar and in the parking lot — where the victim was found — no one even pointed out to police that there was a body on the ground as officers scoured the area following the shots-fired call to 911.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 223-3510.

Returning to the scene

As Randall knows all too well, and according to O-D records, police have responded to the business numerous times in the past.

* On Thanksgiving morning in 2002, two men were shot outside the bar — then called Anthony's — and owned by Anthony Olivadoti Jr. Gregory Moore, 23, of Syracuse was killed and Raymond Harris, 24, of Utica, was injured. Police Saturday said the bar still is owned by the Olivadoti family.

* In February 2010, three men were charged on drug counts after an officer patrolling the area caught them smoking marijuana in a car and found cocaine on one of them.

* In May 2012, a 36-year-old woman struck several police officers after a fight in the parking lot.

* On July 2 last year, Reginald Cromwell, 39, was shot several times. Kilroy Brown, 38, of Staten Island, was charged with felony first-degree assault.

* Then on Aug. 31, police responded to a report of multiple shots fired there, but no one was struck.

* And it was just a few weeks ago on New Year's Eve when Randall heard gunshots, called police and sent an email to city officials.

"They've got to shut him down," she said of the bar.

An employee working at Two J's on Saturday afternoon said he could not comment on the situation. The owner could not be reached.

What's next

The city now has its options on what to do about the bar and its future.

"Whenever we have any type of violence at a bar, it's always reviewed," Hauck said.

One of those options is for the city to take action itself under the nuisance abatement law.

Here, the city looks at the history of the business when it comes to such issues as codes violations, drug arrests and violent crimes.

"We then reach out to the owner to rectify the problem," Hauck said.

If the problem persists, then fines could be levied against the owner. In serious cases, the property can be seized by the city.

Another option is to determine if the establishment constitutes what the state Liquor Authority calls a "disorderly premise." It is the bar's responsibility for safety and security and to notify police of any wrongdoing on the premises, Hauck said.

"If we determine there's a violation, then we tell (the authority)," he said. "A hearing is held, and they then determine if there was a violation."

The state then can fine the owner or suspend or revoke their license, Hauck said.

Randall said she sent a letter to the Liquor Authority this past Thanksgiving, urging that the bar's liquor license be revoked. According to the authority's website, it expires April 30, 2015.